Background checks: Criteria for running a student, volunteer or contractor background check
The University runs criminal conviction history background checks on all finalist candidates to student employment, volunteer, and contractor positions that meet the background check criteria listed below.
This category includes employees with any of the following:
- Unsupervised access to children (under 16)
- Access to persons with a developmental disability
- Access to vulnerable adults
Security/safety sensitive positions include positions covered by the Washington State Child and Adult Abuse Law (CAAL).
Examples
Positions:
- UW Medicine Healthcare System positions
- Therapists
- Camp counselors or similar positions in summer programs positions
- Researchers or educators working with children or vulnerable adults
- Supervisors or managers of above-described types of positions
- Positions with similar responsibilities as above types of positions
Job functions or duties:
- All functions performed by employees in the medical centers, both clinical and non-clinical, because of wide access to patient areas and/or information about patients
- Overseeing the activities of children or vulnerable adults
- Recruiting and evaluating prospective research participants/subjects
- Administering research-related assessments or evaluation tools
- Providing counseling or therapy
Potentially disqualifying types of convictions:
- Crimes against persons or property including various degrees or categories of the following types of crimes: murder, assault, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, rape, child molestation, sexual exploitation or misconduct, human trafficking, possessing and/or trafficking in child pornography, criminal abandonment, indecent exposure, abuse or neglect, arson
- Crimes such as burglary, theft, fraud, embezzlement, or identity theft, computer fraud
- Separately identified computer crimes with a similar purpose, intent or effect as the above listed crimes
- Crimes that are substantially similar to or closely related to the above crimes
This category includes employees who have access to information technology (IT) management, administration, or engineering systems that contain or manage any of the following:
- Personally identifying information
- Patient information
- Financial information
- Student information
- Valuable data
- Intellectual property
- Computer or institutional security resources
- Information or operations that are comparable to those listed above
Examples
Positions:
- Network/system designers, engineers or administrators
- Software and hardware engineers (includes analysts, designers and programmers)
- Database programmers or specialists
- Computer systems operations
- Computer system security specialists
- Supervisors or managers of above-described types of positions
Job functions or duties:
- Design and/or configure computing infrastructure
- Establish security policies, protocols, and procedures
- Grant user account access permission levels
- Oversee, configure or operate systems with sensitive information
- Design and/or administer databases that contain sensitive information
- Perform software or hardware engineering tasks and computer programming
Potentially disqualifying types of convictions:
- Crimes against persons or property including various degrees or categories of the following types of crimes: murder, assault, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, rape, child molestation, sexual exploitation or misconduct, human trafficking, possessing and/or trafficking in child pornography, criminal abandonment, indecent exposure, abuse or neglect, arson
- Crimes such as burglary, theft, fraud, embezzlement, or identity theft
- Crimes involving the use of or gaining illegal access to computing systems or computing networks
- Crimes involving the illegal manufacture and/or distribution of drugs
- Crimes that are substantially similar to or closely related to the above crimes
This category includes employees who have access to personally identifying information about any of the following:
- Students
- Academic appointees
- Staff
- Alumni
- Donors
- Patients
- Research subjects
Examples
Positions:
- Researchers and educators
- Student financial aid staff
- Admissions staff
- Development officers
- Fiscal/Accounting positions
- HR/Payroll positions
- Database administrators
- Internal auditors
- Student advisors
- Student financial aid staff
- Supervisors or managers of above-described types of positions
Job functions or duties:
- Entry of data into or access to systems that have information such as SS numbers, credit card numbers, or bank accounts, student records, donor financial information, personal information and confidential information about research subjects or patients
- Accessing data to make decisions about admissions, financial aid eligibility, etc.
- Accessing data to design or run reports or make analyses
- Accessing data to conduct audits, run reports, etc.
- Supervisors or managers of above-described types of positions
Potentially disqualifying types of convictions:
- Crimes against persons or property including various degrees or categories of the following types of crimes: murder, assault, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, rape, child molestation, sexual exploitation or misconduct, human trafficking, possessing and/or trafficking in child pornography, criminal abandonment, indecent exposure, abuse or neglect, arson
- Crimes such as burglary, theft, fraud, embezzlement, or identity theft, computer fraud
- Computer-based crimes such as hacking into computer systems and stealing information, providing a gateway for others to use in stealing information, damaging computer systems or networks
- Crimes involving the illegal manufacture and/or distribution of drugs
- Crimes that are substantially similar to or closely related to the above crimes
This category includes employees who have direct access to any of the following:
- Cash
- Checks
- Credit card accounts
- Financial resources or information
Examples
Positions:
- Financial administrators
- Fiscal staff
- Buyers, purchasing positions
- Positions, including cashiers and others, that process cash or credit card sales
- Supervisors or managers of above-described types of positions
Job functions or duties:
- Account funds management
- Check writing
- Petty cash management or reimbursement
- Selling tickets, food, or other goods and services
- Invoice approval and payment
- Distribution of employee salary or reimbursement checks
- Managing Pro Card accounts or transactions
Potentially disqualifying types of convictions:
- Crimes against persons or property including various degrees or categories of the following types of crimes: murder, assault, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, rape, child molestation, sexual exploitation or misconduct, human trafficking, possessing and/or trafficking in child pornography, criminal abandonment, indecent exposure, abuse or neglect, arson
- Crimes such as burglary, theft, fraud or embezzlement, identity theft
- Computer-based crimes such as hacking into computer systems and stealing information, providing a gateway for others to use in stealing information, damaging computer systems or networks
- Crimes involving the illegal manufacture and/or distribution of illegal drugs
- Crimes that are substantially similar to or closely related to the above crimes
This category includes employees who have access to information, places, or systems that may have security implications including:
- Information about the UW infrastructure
- Information about UW procedures
- Master keys
- Security systems
- Areas where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy
- Areas where valuable items are housed or stores
Examples
Positions:
- Engineering Managers or Engineers
- Engineering positions
- Architectural Managers or Architects
- Law enforcement and security positions
- Telecommunications, engineering & building services positions
- Facilities records center positions
- Designated facilities services and support positions (e.g., trades, custodians)
- Control systems management and maintenance positions
- Power plant positions
- Lock Shop
- Maintenance and custodial positions
- Student life administration
- Supervisors or managers of above-described types of positions
Job functions or duties:
- Access to or information about the location or operation of potentially sensitive resources (power plant, utilities, emergency electrical systems, building access systems)
- Access to computer or telecommunications networking equipment for installation, maintenance or repair
- Lock maintenance or replacement, campus key administration and replacement
- Maintenance or construction work where workers have master keys that provide access to occupied areas
- Environmental testing
- Design, installation, maintenance, and record keeping for systems controlling building access and security
- Residence hall administration and maintenance
- Residence hall staff and advisers
- Supervisors or managers of above-described types of positions
Potentially disqualifying types of convictions:
- Crimes against persons or property including various degrees or categories of the following types of crimes: murder, assault, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, rape, child molestation, sexual exploitation or misconduct, human trafficking, possessing and/or trafficking in child pornography, criminal abandonment, indecent exposure, abuse or neglect, arson
- Crimes such as burglary, theft, fraud or embezzlement, identity theft
- Computer-based crimes such as hacking into computer systems and stealing information, providing a gateway for others to use in stealing information, damaging computer systems or networks
- Crimes involving the illegal manufacture and/or distribution of illegal drugs
- Crimes that are substantially similar to or closely related to the above crimes
This category includes positions who have access to pharmaceuticals or controlled substances.
Examples
Positions:
- Physicians, pharmacists, nurses
- Veterinarians, and animal care staff with access to controlled substances
- Research personnel with access to controlled substances used in research
Job functions or duties:
- Patient care
- Research animal care
- Laboratory research
Potentially disqualifying types of convictions:
- Crimes against persons or property including various degrees or categories of the following types of crimes: murder, assault, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, rape, child molestation, sexual exploitation or misconduct, human trafficking, possessing and/or trafficking in child pornography, criminal abandonment, indecent exposure, abuse or neglect, arson
- Crimes for felony possession or possession with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Crimes such as theft, fraud or embezzlement, identity theft
- Computer-based crimes such as hacking into computer systems and stealing information, providing a gateway for others to use in stealing information, damaging computer systems or networks
- Crimes involving the illegal manufacture and/or distribution of illegal drugs
- Crimes that are substantially similar to or closely related to the above crimes